S.D.-based frigate aids ailing Persian Gulf ship

The crew of the San Diego-based Navy frigate Rentz last week helped rescue the crew of a merchant ship in the central Persian Gulf that was taking on water and in danger of foundering, according to a news release from the Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet Command.

The Rentz received a distress call Friday from the Motor Vessel Adnan Wahd indicating the boat was flooding uncontrollably through a three-foot hole in its hull. The crew reported it had limited fuel and no food.

After arriving alongside the Adnan Wahd, a rescue-and-assist team from the Rentz boarded the ship with a pump provided by the Qatari coast guard and showed the crew how to use it, the news release said.

They also delivered five days’ worth of food and water. A Qatari coast guard ship then towed the boat to shore.